What goes up
by guns'n'luv
Summary: <html><head></head>Marshall decided he is going to take a full two week vacation starting the day mary gets back from Cancun. Let's see what these two put each other through when Mary realizes how much she relies on Marshall to keep her sane and out of jail!</html>
1. Chapter 1

**The characters do not belong to me nor do I own any part of In Plain Sight. This is pure imagination. Adult language because it's Mary. This is my first story so reviews would be very welcome. More chapters to come. I'm just getting started! Please enjoy:)**

**Takes place after season 3 finale. **

_Even as I watch what I call mine_

_Become not mine_

_Even as I feel what I cannot lose_

_Float further away_

_I refuse to surrender what I have lost._

Marshal Marshall Mann sat at his desk in the Sunshine Building, searching the vast and seemingly uncontrolled amount of files his partner had left him while on vacation. And if this pile was overly large it was because it consisted of all the files Mary had decided didn't need her attention long before she took a break.

"Ah, well. Nothing unusual," Marshall said with a sigh, his deep and often husky voice echoing through the empty office. It was empty because it happened to be 11:00 on a Tuesday night. Stan, Charlie, and every other person who normally inhabited the U.S. Marshal's office were long gone. Home to families, friends, or just a bottle. Who knows? But they were not there to witness one of Marshall's rare melancholy moods. He sat with his back to the balcony overlooking Albuquerque and one by one, laid the files into a neat and alphabetized pile. Then he just as neatly slid them into a bottom drawer in Mary's filing cabinet with a slight nod, awaiting his partner's return the next morning. He knew she would never think to look in the most obvious place.

The office echoed the sound of his chair as it squeaked with the release of his weight. He walked over to the radio placed on top of his ordered file cabinet. Mary often called his fondness for order a symptom of OCD, which he responded to by reciting the medical textbook definition of the disorder. He switched the radio on to one of his favorite channels, a country station that drove Mary crazy. The sound of a slow song followed him out onto the balcony as he sat and watched the night go by. Tomorrow morning he would not be here. In fact, Marshall wouldn't be seeing this place for the next couple of weeks, if plans went accordingly.

"How many years has it been?" he asked himself. How long had he not taken advantage of those few days a year in which he was allowed freedom from his routine? At least as long as Mary had been his partner. He remembered the first year she had come to them. He had been called back not even days into his vacation to help sooth over one of Mary's indelicate attempts to deal with outside authority. Calling the leader of the FBI an ignorant fucking asshole had not seemed to impress the man who led hundreds of men and women everyday. Stan had handled him, Marshall had been left with Mary. And he had been able to calm her down and together they had found a more tactful resolution. In Marshall's mind, Mary was a sphinx, the head and breast of a woman, the strong and capable body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. She presented a riddle to the world and if you made a mistake with her she would eat you alive. It was a good thing Marshall knew so much trivia. So far he could answer all her riddles but one. _What would it take to make her see?_ His musings passed over into dangerous territory before he came back around to his shortened vacation..

Ever since then he had used no more than three days to see his family, mostly an extra day off for each of the holidays. Mary had not used any of them which had led to her taking three weeks off just recently. He had thought about taking his full vacation then too, but couldn't afford to leave Stan that short. He knew that Stan relied on them as the best in WitSec. With all the cases they handled it would take four marshals to take their place. But with Mary coming back tomorrow, and the decidedly disagreeable mood he had been in since he found out she was with Mr. 'Kitten' Faber, he chose, with Stan's blessing, to take off for the next two weeks. He had taken the precaution of giving Stan his work phone and would later turn off his cell phone as a safeguard against Mary when she found out she would be having to do her own paperwork for two weeks. Especially when she couldn't find the ones she had already given him.

Marshall breathed in the cool summer night air before laughing to himself. He didn't want to think about why he felt so good for knowing she would have a difficult time while he wasn't there to lean on, but he had to admit, "It does feel good, for once I won't be there to clean up after you, Mary."


	2. Chapter 2

**The characters do not belong to me nor do I own any part of In Plain Sight. This is pure imagination. Adult language because it's Mary. This is my first story so reviews would be very welcome. More chapters to come. I'm just getting started! Please enjoy:)**

One more look out over the city and Marshall turned to leave. Some time after he had arrived home and was laying in bed reading The History and Minds of Concubines in the Early Centuries, his cell phone started vibrating. Marshall hesitated to answer it, mentally flagellating himself about forgetting to turn it off.

He retrieved it from his nightstand and saw the read-out. _Mary_. Should he answer it or let it go. After all, he was technically on vacation. But this was Mary and he couldn't help but worry. What if something was wrong. After all she was calling him at one in the morning. He would be asleep right now if his mind would relent. He sighed loudly and opened the phone, allowing Mary a few more minutes of his time before he disconnected from everyone for two weeks.

He pushed talk, "Mary."

"You know I hate when you answer the phone with my name, right? I mean how hard is it to pretend your normal and say Hello or Yes, this is Marshall?"

Ah, same old Mary. Marshall couldn't help but smile to himself. "Hello, Yes this is Marshall, which you know because you called my phone. I'm in bed, it's late, and yet you still want to gripe at me when you call. How…like you."

"Ha-ha, ass-wipe. I need you." Her voice sounded low and slurred if he wasn't mistaken. Was she drunk in Cancun with Faber hours before she had to fly home? Even with these thoughts running through his head, the words 'I need you' coming from Mary set his blood on fire. When would this torment end?

"I can't help you. I'm in the U.S. That would be a bit difficult, even if I am Superman without the tights," Marshall drawled.

"Where the hell do you think I am? Come get me before these creeps at the airport try to rape me in the bathroom. I'm not up to my usual disembowelment methods and I think they know it."

"Where are you? Are you drunk?" He had already climbed out of bed and began dressing as she answered him.

"I'm at ABQ International. And I'm not drunk, though I kinda wish I was. I bet alcohol would mix real well with these drugs. I am feeling a liiitttle weird." Mary's voice dropped off for a few seconds then came back after Marshall called her name. "Yeah, why you yelling? Hey Marshall, hurry."

"I'll be right there, Mare." He hung up and rushed out the door.

It took over half an hour to get to the airport and then he had to call her back to find out what terminal she was at. When he finally found her she was slouched in a chair with her bags piled by her side. Her face was a sickly yellow color and when he bent down to help her up the coolness of her skin shocked him.

"Mare, what happened?" He asked hoarsely. His worry only increased when she looked up at him and her eyes lost focus for a few seconds.

"Marshall?" Her voice had become even more weak.

"Yeah, it's me Mare. Let's get you home." Marshall gathered her bags and Mary allowed him to hold her up as she walked beside him. He pushed his resentment and anger at her out of is mind and focused on Mary and getting her outside.

As he helped her into his truck some pills fell out of her jacket pocket. He picked them up and read the label. "Ah, that makes more sense."

Mary had obviously contracted a bug from Cancun. In order for her to be able to fly, a doctor would have made sure whatever it was couldn't be contracted. And she must have been well enough to come home. Her condition right now was caused by the prescription she had been taking.

Marshall, knowing that she would be okay, drove home in a much calmer state than when he had began. She woke halfway from the airport and seemed to be able to interact just fine.

"Hey Doofus, roll down the window. I need some air."

He smiled and rolled down the window so she could get a breeze. Mary laid her head back once more but kept her eyes open and on the road. "Thanks for picking me up. I was getting worried you had stubbed your toe and decided to stay in bed."

"I considered it, but then I would have to watch my back for a while and I thought this required less effort." Marshall hesitated before continuing the conversation. "How did you like Cancun? Did you have fun? Meet anybody interesting?" He couldn't help himself. He was just a glutton for torture apparently. He couldn't decide if wanted to hear her say she was with Faber or pretend she hadn't been.

Mary jerked straighter in her seat then relaxed again. "Does it look like I had fun? I was there for four days and I got whatever this is. I have been laying in a hospital in Cancun for two weeks, delirious and sweating. You better not ever try to get me to go on a vacation again unless you're willing to go too. I'm not gonna be the only one throwing up my guts in another freakin' country!"

Marshall's attention was focused on the road ahead when he asked his next question, "Where did Faber go?" He could feel Mary's eyes, still beautiful in spite of the condition she was in, center on his face for a minute before turning away. He thought she wasn't going to answer when she cleared her throat.

"What, you thought I left the country just go get my jollies off with Faber?" she asked sarcastically. When he didn't answer she spoke again. "He got there the second night. When I got sick he took me to the hospital and he left. I haven't seen him since." Her voice took on an edge he knew well, even though he could tell she was trying to mask it with detachment. His hands clenched tighter on the wheel but he followed her lead and asked distantly, "Should we find him? It would be an easy enough task, but you and I would probably go to jail for assaulting an FBI agent."

"Yeah, true. Besides, he isn't worth the trouble. Wasn't worth it to begin with was he?"

Marshall chose to ignore that as they pulled up in front of her house. Marshall helped her out of his truck and through the front door. He held her up until they reached her bedroom then sat her on the mattress.

"You should probably go to a hospital here you know." he told her, knowing it wouldn't do any good. Her color was already looking better and her skin felt warmer but not feverish.

"I just need some water to take some more of these. I should be fine by tomorrow. The doc said day after at the most. Once it's starts to fade, it goes quick." Mary said as she watched Marshall get some water from the bathroom tap and then rummage in her drawers for pajamas. Sometimes she felt as if Marshall knew everything about her. It reassured her that he at least didn't know where she kept her pajamas.

Marshall lay the pants and tank on the bed beside her. He leaned down to hug her goodbye, knowing she would refuse any help and trying hard to keep is feelings back.

"See you tomorrow, doofus," she said as he walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around once more. He couldn't just leave her hanging like this. He couldn't tell her okay and then not show up tomorrow.

"About that, Mare…I'm uh, I'm taking my vacation." He raised his hand to rub the back of his neck like he did when he was waiting for one of Mary's outburst directed at him.

She just looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Okay, fine. see in a few days. Just know that I'm not gonna do all your paperwork while your gone." She gave him a patented 'try and disagree with me look'. "Seriously, I barely do my own, there's no way I'm doing yours. Or going to see Jackson, so if you have him scheduled for a visit, forget it. That guy is fucking annoying." She put her glass down after swallowing all the water.

"Uh, Mary…I'm taking two weeks off."


	3. Chapter 3

**~CH 3 is a little longer I think. Please tell me if I'm being too long-winded or the pace isn't fast enough. I need some feedback for anything I need to~ improve on. I promise after this the plot will move a lot faster though. I'm not trying to write a book. Lol. Though come to think of it…..Nah, too bad I don't own IPS:) Oh, and thanks to the good people who alerted or reviewed my story. It made me oh so happy!**

Marshall woke up at the same time he did every morning like clockwork. He dressed, went for a run, showered…then …He wasn't sure what he was doing. He leaned against the counter in his kitchen staring morosely at the intricate tile work under his feet. He wasn't sure how long he stayed this way, coffee offering warmth to his chilled hands, wondering just what was keeping him from moving, getting out and doing what he had originally planned for his vacation.

He splashed the dregs of the remaining liquid into the sink and laughed under his breath, "Oh, you know exactly what is bothering you. A few hours back and already you're letting her interrupt your thoughts." She was akin to a tall, beautiful, blonde train wreck that just happened to occupy his mental highways almost every second of the day. How exactly was he supposed to get over that? Just as in real life, his personal train-wreck was hard to remove and stuck in his mind long after witnessing the actual mess.

His truck rumbled to life as he pushed the number 1 on his speed dial and waited for the familiar huskiness to fill his ears. Instead he got more of a croak than anything and his brow instinctively creased in worry while unconsciously his foot pressed a little harder on the gas peddle.

"Marshall, what the hell?" he could make out that much of her garbled vocabulary.

"Mare, are you feeling better this morning or is it time for a hospital visit?"

"You call me at this hour because you wanna take me to the hospital. Some friend you are."

_Some friend you are. It reverberated in his head for a second before the rest of her words made it through._

"_I thought you were on vacation. I mean, who gets up this early when they don't have to?" _

"_A friend who is worried about their partner. You know, the one that they dragged home from the airport last night almost catatonic and the color of a goldfish."_

"_Well, rest assured partner. I'm no longer catatonic, and though I think you're making the fishy past up just to annoy me, I wouldn't mind being gold." Her voice was getting stronger, he assumed it was due to getting some coffee into her system, as he heard the glasses clinking and her sigh of contentment a moment later. Obviously there was no need to worry. She was back to normal. _

"_Eh, you're right. You were more of a greenish-yellow than gold. Much like a snail." He couldn't help but hear the slight edge to his voice that was normally absent from their usual banter and wondered if her voice had a slightly different tone also. He hoped she wasn't as perceptive, but then wanted her to be at the same time. Mary could twist him in more directions than the snakes of Medusa._

"_I have to go. I'll talk to you later." He hung up after her short reply. A few minutes later he pulled out of their favorite morning diner. Coffee and pastries filled his passenger side as he drove to the office one more time before he was officially on vacation. _

_Marshall tried to time it just right so that he could hand out the goodies, use a forgotten file as reason for his unexpected arrival, and make sure Mary was okay, then be on his way. He spoke to Stan, asking him to keep an eye on Mary after filling him in on her recent bug. Then he spread her coffee and pastries on her desk as a welcome back though he couldn't muster any more effort than that under the circumstances. He watched her mustang pull up in front of the building and her long legs protrude from the car followed by a relatively healthy Mary. Worry abated, he prepared to make his exit but Stan had other plans. _

_Marshall followed his boss into his office all the while wondering if he would make it before she got up there. He had a feeling if they were to come face to face again he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings. He wasn't happy that Mary had been ill last night, far from it, but it had thankfully saved him from having to think about any emotion other than the normal concern for a sick friend. Or rather more than simple concern, but he wasn't going there. He wasn't. Stan turned and faced him after closing the door. _

"_Marshall," Stan rubbed his palm over his forehead before continuing. "Is there going to be a problem with you two that I should know about?" He looked as uncomfortable as the time he had to ask Mary if she were expecting when she got a bad virus one time that had her throwing up every morning. "I know there were…things said and done that…may have an impact on your partnership. I need to know now if there will be any…permanent damage?" He looked a the floor then faced Marshall squarely, wanting a direct answer. _

_Marshall took a deep breath, "Sir, I won't let anything affect our job or our witnesses. You know that is our first priority."_

_Stan watched Marshall for a minute before nodding, "I know that Marshal. But sometimes the job isn't everything." He got a faraway look in his eyes for a moment before recovering. "One more thing. I know this is your vacation but,"_

"_I might be going out of town so I won't be available for any witnesses," Marshall quickly informed him. _

"_No, nothing like that. I'm not worried about witnesses. I'm worried about Mary. We both know she isn't the best person to work alone in some cases. But I had to split your workload among the other marshals and Mary was the only one qualified for Montgomery. I can't take it or I would." he trailed off as Marshall realized where he was heading. _

_Montgomery was one of his more high profile witnesses, if you can have high profile in witness protection. Montgomery was as highly regarded as you could get among the higher ups. He was still allowed contact with certain people because of the sheer breadth of his power. Being in Witness Protection was more of a gesture than anything, as a way to transfer funds into a new identity which otherwise would have been lost to him. The man practically had half the U.S. judges and a few senators on speed dial and it pissed Marshall and Mary off to no end. He difference was that Marshall could handle it and Mary, as she so eloquently put it, didn't kiss asses that couldn't clean up their own shit._

"_Uh, sir, that could be a problem. No let me rephrase, that will be a problem." Marshall shook his head slowly, smiling a little to himself. He just knew he wasn't getting this vacation. The gods were against it, apparently. "My next visit isn't until Friday. Can I at least have until then off?" He needed some time even if it was a couple days only to calm down from this emotional rollercoaster he was on. _

_Stan looked surprised at his words. "What? No, Marshal. You're still taking that vacation. You need it as much as Mary did, if not more." He seemed to realize the awkwardness his statement caused because after a brief pause he bulldozed on pretending not to have made such a blatant slip-up. "I just wanted to give you a heads up, just in case. I know she is probably the worse possible one to give him to, but truthfully, he would chew the other inspectors up and spit them out. Mary can hold her own." Mary walked in just then and they both watched her through the blinds as she stopped in front of her desk and took in the caffeine and sugar factory Marshall had left there. They both saw the small wistful smile she tried to hide by stuffing a donut into her mouth whole. Marshall smiled unknowingly as Stan watched then turned back to the older man._

"_Yet that's the same thing giving me cramps just thinking about it. What is she going to do when he threatens her with a call to the senator if she doesn't find an old friend's brother's uncle's son to send a birthday card to."_

_Marshall looked back at his strong-willed, stubborn, often-times abrasive partner before answering. "Mary will do her job. If it isn't her job, then Mary will call me. It's what she does. Don't worry, if there's something she can't handle or simply doesn't want to, she will find a way to get me to do it." A little grin crossed his face fleetingly as he remembered times when Mary had needed him and actually asked for help. Work was the only placed she allowed herself to let him lend a hand. It was the only place she allowed herself to admit when she was out of her depth in certain things. Although most of the time, this required the calling of names and acting on her part to make it seem as if she hadn't asked at all. He still knew. She was his partner. _

_Bringing himself back from memory lane, he told Stan to call him if anything needed to be done about Montgomery and headed out of his office with well wishes from his boss. Mary looked up surprised. He had not parked his truck where she would see it when she pulled in, hoping to not have this run in yet. _

"_What are you doing here? Just couldn't resist me, could you cowboy?" she asked. Marshall thought that she had not known what feelings her words evoked. But he glimpsed her slight grimace as she quickly turned to the file cabinet beside her desk. The one where all the files were hidden. She opened the drawer and paused before picking all of them up and sitting them on her desk with a loud thunk and looked up at Marshall. _

"_What gives, Doofus? You were supposed to do my paperwork while I was out. You know, for the witnesses that you were also supposed to take care of? Or did you forget them, too?" She stood up and laid both palms on either side of the files, in confrontational mode. _

_Marshall stepped closer, ready for it. "When have you ever known me to forget anything? I believe you were the one who forgot something, like maybe the yearly workups on your witnesses. You see," he said in a light casual voice, "That wasn't part of my job. That was yours. And it looks like you still have, oh.." He leaned closer to her to look at the calendar on her desk, her smell surrounding him, "hmm, about five days to turn them in. You should be fine, Mare." He rocked back on his heels, hands in his pockets as she glared at him. Then he did the unthinkable. He snatched one of her donuts before walking away. He laughed to himself as he heard her cussing behind him and a wads of papers were assaulting him on his way out the door. Sometimes revenge was just better than anything that could be said. And there weren't very many things that Mary hated more than paperwork. _

_If you feel so inclined, I would love some feedback, both positive and negative. I have to know what to improve in order to do so!_


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